The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-27
TgE iWFULDEATH SCENES
IN WHICH SARA BRRNHARDT
COUNTERFRITS
Naiare's Lat AgOnies and Dying
IhrOes-HOw >he Expires
ia sFrOu FiOu."


the comments one hears on leaving a
theater after q Bernhard perform
ance, the most frequently heard is,
GLOW realistic her death scereW
uttered in a tone that conveys the
idea that the critic knows all about
it. iIernhardt's death is always a
slow process, and attended with
more or less commotioo, according to
the style of the play. Most Of the
characters whose lives she portrays
come to an end that is violent
poison or the dagger, or an agonizing
sickness being concerned 10 the i'm
mediate cause. In FrOu Fr0H
however, she has an opportunity to
die a la mode, cOnventionally, the
going forth of life being the natural
climax to long continued wasting
away of muscular and nervous yigor.
1t is nevertheless a striking piece of
acting, and calls forth the usual com
mendation realistic. - Those who
are familiar with the play will re-
member that "Frou- Frou" has come
TO her husbands house from sick
bed. II is to be inferred that had she
not thus expanded her little remnant
OF vitality, she might have recovered,
When she entered In this scene the
other evening her appearance was 80
extraordinary that person in the
first balcony actually laughed aloud.
II was not, happily, the occasion OF
general kissing throughout the house,
as occurred when the famous laugh
occurred at the opera few months
ago. Bernhard was dressed in a
plain, loose dress OF the somb rest
black; it made her hair by contrast
look actually red; it is red, as mat
ter OF fact, but not OF pronounced
shade, and unless it is thus brought
out by sharp contrast, the fact escapes
the recognition of many chance OBJ
server. Moreover, her red hair is in
violent disorder; it strays about
either side OF her face, somewhat
alter the manner of the conventional
witch, and tutt stands almost
straight up on the middle of her
head; her face has the most aShen
pallor, and her open mouth, dropped
jaw and languid movements indicate
the extremity of weakness She, is
assisted to a sofa and the scene pro-
crosses. When the death scene
proper begins Bernhard has the
boy Georges on his knees before
her, her sister and husband at
her right and left respectively. She
stretches her limbs as one might in
a fit of lassitude. Her arms are ex-
tended wide on either side, and her
hands are open, the fingers spread
apart. She withdraws her hands
from this position in moment to toy
with Georges long hair. Her voice,
in its tremuluous husky infections
growing gradually inarticulate, can
not, Of course, be described. Sh,
smiles continuously, but in 30 doinI
rolls the lower lip down, exposing
her teeth, as II to indicate that sh
had not the strength to bring he
Jaws together. Still, unless tn,
spectator knew the lines, he woulC
not expect the end to come as quickl.
as it does.
"Ah," l hear some one say, "if the
acting is realistic, would not ply
stefan know just where to expec
the last gasp2' Perhaps so; we shall
see. The actress continues to Civ,
directions in faint voice for he
burial, her eyes wandering iron
Georges to her sister. Suddenl
she stops in the middle Of sen
tence, stares straight ahead, SILVER
slightly, closes her fingers convul
sively together as they res
on Georges head, appears t
gasp for breath that sh
cannot get, and then her head fall
back upon the cushion and rolls {
one side, the eyes staring, the mout
open. AS the head falls she make
a slight choking sound, as if on
should try to say ali! without usin
any breath. In the very lobby mt
an ancient physician who had bee
an attentive observer OF the scene
"Reals,ic?' he queriod, III IN /; it wa
effective. Isn't that quite sufficient
| never saw anybody die that wa!
but | presume Mme, Bernhardt ma
have. don't believe, however, tn,
our great actors and actresses stud
models ofexpiripg people in the no:
pitfalls, as they are said to do in poI
ular legends. No two persons d
alike, and il Nine. Bcrnhardt wei
to eudeavor to be realistic rattle
than artistic, my impression is tn,
the spectators would say that she di
not know how to die correctly"
1t is curious study to see Il
rapidly aging Bernhardt play Il
young, giddy and fascinating cir
Even in the heyday OF her yout
she could not have been in any sen,
prepossessing. A large nose, lantoI
iawed, colorless face, carrOtty hal
and figure that justihes all the eI
travagant jokes about its leanness
these must have been as strange
look at as they are now, but yea
have added to them the marks
old age that the actress takes no a,
parent pains to conceal. So far
facial makeup is concerned, Der
hardt comes on the stage witho
any, except when teigning mort
sickness; then the natural palor
her cheeks is heightened by powd
to a CHASTITY, morgue gray. In DIRE
she displays an Infinite variety, wit
in well defined limitations. That
in texture and combinations of col
she has the world to draw from, a,
never fails to give a vision of som
thing new and beautiful; but in sty
her garments are almost always d
tinguished by cut that does as mu
as art can to disguise the attenuati
OF her shape. She rarely confess
In her dress that she has q waist, a
perhaps il the truth is known 8
hasn't any. And as for bust, II
also il an unknown quantity. II
young girl, then, il placed in the CT
ner as a wall flower, would only c
cite ridicule There are many 81
cessful actresses who are INTEREST,"
iftkoy but maintain a graceful rept
on the age; Bernhardt is not Q
nj them. The critics have told o,